San Diego – After receiving a first-round bye, defending champion Victoria Duval of Bradenton, Fla., began her title defense at the USTA Girls’ 18s National Championships in impressive fashion on Stadium Court at the Barnes Tennis Center as she blanked Aryn Greene of Alpharetta, Ga., 6-0, 6-0.

The third-seeded Duval, who is currently ranked No. 292 in the WTA singles rankings, advances to a third-round meeting on Tuesday afternoon against unseeded Rebekah Anderson of La Mirada, Calif.

"It feels good. I love playing here. I played some of my best tennis here last year, so hopefully I’ll do it again," Duval said. "I don’t feel any pressure at all. It’s not going to be easy, but I’m looking forward to it. The wild card into the US Open is a big deal. It’s something we all want to achieve. Hopefully I’ll get to do it a second time."

The tournament named 17-year-old Kennan Johnson of Baton Rouge, La., as the Babolat Player of the Day. Johnson took the initiative to pitch in and help the tournament staff to clean up following a player dinner last Saturday night after the Opening Ceremony. Johnson then asked if she could take the leftover food from the dinner to give to local homeless people in need. Accompanied by her mother and grandmother, Johnson distributed the food in the nearby Ocean Beach community.

The award, which is presented to a player each day of the event, is based equally on competitive achievement and sportsmanship.

Nearly 400 girls ages 16 and 18 and under are competing for the title of national champion, as well as a wild-card entry into the singles main draw of the US Open (for the 18s champion) and a wild card into the US Open Junior Championships (for the 16s champion). The 18s doubles champions will also receive a wild card into the main draw of the US Open.